Imo Governor vows to send APC national chairman, Oyegun, to prison

Imo state governor, Rochas Okorocha, has vowed to ensure that national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), John Odigie-Oyegun, is jailed for lawlessness in his bid to destroy the party.

In a statement signed by the governor's spokesperson, Sam Onwuemeodo, on Tuesday, June 5, 2018, he accused the party chairman of violating court orders after he swore in Hilary Eke as Imo APC chairman despite the fact that there is a case in court over his eligibility.

Okorocha said Oyegun went ahead with Eke's inauguration to spite him because he opposed the elongation of his tenure as the party's national chairman. The governor further disclosed that his lawyers will subsequently press for Oyegun's imprisonment along with that of other 'strange elements' involved.

The statement read, "The way Chief Oyegun pursued the issue of tenure elongation also showed how selfish and greedy he is. He is not interested in the well-being or future of the party, but only interested in staying put as the national chairman of the party. That is why he is after anybody who opposed the tenure elongation.

"The worst thing that would have happened to APC is to allow Chief Oyegun to continue as the national chairman of the party. Chief Akande never tried to destroy the party when he was leaving as the pioneer chairman but Oyegun wants to destroy the party because he is leaving. He is not patriotic.

"In the case of Imo, he disobeyed two court orders with regard to the congresses in Imo and the inauguration of strange elements as state officials of the party just to get at Governor Okorocha because of the issue of elongation.

"And we have no option now than to ask our lawyers to press for his imprisonment and that of Osita Izunaso and all those who were involved in the lawlessness.

"The only thing Chief Oyegun has achieved in his anger against Governor Okorocha is encouraging elements with no electoral value like Osita Okechukwu and those from Imo to be insulting the governor. And these are people who cannot win their booths in an election."

Oyegun oversees inauguration of 35 state chairpersons

In an inauguration that was conducted at the party's national secretariat in Abuja on Monday, June 4, 35 state chairpersons from across the country were sworn in. This came after division spread through the party's ranks in its recent state congresses with several parallel congresses electing their own executives.

Okorocha's faction in the state had been in open opposition to Eke, a candidate of the Imo Restoration Coalition, but he was one of those inaugurated on Monday over Chris Oguoma who is the governor's choice.

While addressing the new executives on Monday, Oyegunurged them to commit to returning the party to office for a second term.